Spend Your Money on Memories

Buying memories will make you happier than material items, according to this article in Time MoneyLand.

“This might seem counter-intuitive. After all, when faced with a trade-off between doing and buying, many people opt for the material good because “it will still be there” long after the experience would have been enjoyed. In one sense that’s correct: The material good lasts while the experience is fleeting. But psychologically it’s the reverse. We quickly adapt to the material good, but the experience endures in the memories we cherish, the stories we tell and the very sense of who we are.”

I know this is true for us. My wife and I had a chance to spend a few days in St. Augustine, Florida following a conference we attended in Orlando. We drove over to the coast and spent the weekend. It is one of the best memories I have in life. It was cheap and so much fun. We both talk of it often.

Good advice, particularly as most of us find ourselves with less cash for material possessions and in need of a little more fun.